diff --git a/app/routes/rfd.$slug.discussion.tsx b/app/routes/rfd.$slug.discussion.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..757a41e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/routes/rfd.$slug.discussion.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Copyright Oxide Computer Company
+ */
+
+import { redirect, type LoaderArgs } from '@remix-run/node'
+
+import { isAuthenticated } from '~/services/authn.server'
+import { fetchRfd } from '~/services/rfd.server'
+import { parseRfdNum } from '~/utils/parseRfdNum'
+
+import { resp404 } from './rfd.$slug'
+
+export async function loader({ request, params: { slug } }: LoaderArgs) {
+  const num = parseRfdNum(slug)
+  if (!num) throw resp404()
+
+  const user = await isAuthenticated(request)
+  const rfd = await fetchRfd(num, user)
+
+  // !rfd covers both non-existent and private RFDs for the logged-out user. In
+  // both cases, once they log in, if they have permission to read it, they'll
+  // get the redirect, otherwise they will get 404.
+  if (!rfd && !user) throw redirect(`/login?returnTo=/rfd/${num}/discussion`)
+
+  // If you don't see an RFD but you are logged in, you can't tell whether you
+  // don't have access or it doesn't exist. That's fine.
+  if (!rfd || !rfd.discussion_link) throw resp404()
+
+  return redirect(rfd.discussion_link)
+}
diff --git a/app/routes/rfd.$slug.tsx b/app/routes/rfd.$slug.tsx
index b59ab82..5d265e9 100644
--- a/app/routes/rfd.$slug.tsx
+++ b/app/routes/rfd.$slug.tsx
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ ad.ConverterFactory.register(new InlineConverter(), ['html5'])
 
 export const links = () => [{ rel: 'stylesheet', href: styles }]
 
-const resp404 = () => new Response('Not Found', { status: 404 })
+export const resp404 = () => new Response('Not Found', { status: 404 })
 
 /**
  * Fetch RFD, accounting for the possibility of the RFD being public.
diff --git a/test/e2e/everything.spec.ts b/test/e2e/everything.spec.ts
index 4dbe3d5..e97039b 100644
--- a/test/e2e/everything.spec.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/everything.spec.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ test('Filter by author', async ({ page }) => {
   // don't know how many public RFDs there are but there are a bunch
   expect(await rfdLinks.count()).toBeGreaterThan(10)
 
-  await page.getByPlaceholder('Filter by').fill('crespo')
+  await page.getByPlaceholder('Filter by').fill('davidcrespo')
 
   // but after you filter there are fewer
   expect(await rfdLinks.count()).toEqual(2)